I love pork tenderloin. A lot of people say it’s not very flavorful, but it’s so tender, easy to cook, and versatile that you can overlook that. I love the way it supports lovely sauces.

For a lunch today for a group of friends, I made two sauces, Cranberry Coulis and Ivory Onion Cream, ahead of time, and when I got there, I put the salads together, then seared the tenderloin. While we ate the salads, I transferred the tenderloin to the oven, and by the time we were through with the salads, it was done.

green salad with roasted pears, Parmesan, and candied pecans

I plated it up with a base of wild and brown rice pilaf (I added dried cranberries, chopped and sauteed onions, and parsley), then ladled the two sauces alongside.

roasted pork tenderloin, wild and brown rice pilaf, and two sauces

Here are the recipes for the sauces, and yes, I still have my Bon Appetits from 1980. What’s your point? :
Cranberry Coulis (Bon Appetit, December 1980)
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 lb. cranberries
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat, making sure sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries; reduce heat, cover and simmer until berries have popped. Puree through food mill into bowl (preferred) or puree in processor and then strain. Stir in salt and pepper. Chill.